Jack in the Box
by Nateka
Summary: Retired Special Agent Jack Savage has returned to Zootopia and taken up shop as a private investigator. But, things aren't always what they seem. Fuzzy memories, little money, smoky rooms, and crazy neighbors. Follow Jack through twisted streets and dark alleys as he continues his passion for fighting crime, conflict, and his own inner demons.
1. Where is Nicholas Wilde?

Jack Savage Stars in...

" **Jack in the Box"**

Episode one: Where is Nicholas Wilde?

The stale air of the office provided no new influence or image. Jack slowly rolled the back of his head from left to right across the top of his chair, staring in boredom at the ceiling tiles above his desk with his mouth open. The small glass in his left paw was empty, but still smelled of the bourbon he'd been drinking since the sun showed it's ugly glow through the window slats. The smoke from his cigar, long since extinguished, hung in the air like a fog or a mist waiting to be blown away by the slightest breeze.

Jack sighed and spoke to himself in a mumbled whisper, as though it were a chore to speak. "I should open a window."

With yet another sigh, he sat forward, taking his eyes from the ceiling, and, while leaning, failed to realize he had not yet regained conscious control over his posture.

As the high-backed chair returned to its natural vertical position, the front edge of his desk suddenly came into view. With a heavy thunk, his forehead struck the desks surface, and his long ears flopped across paperwork and picture frames, scattering both across the desktop and the floor.

"...ow." he mumbled.

The large trap door in the floor to the side of his desk creaked open, the top of an elephants head with a pair of concerned eyes greeted an embarrassed rabbit that had just been in a one-punch fight with a piece of furniture, and lost. Jack, leaving his head on the desk in defeat, rolled his head to the side to greet his junior partner.

"Mr. Savage. Are you alright? I heard a noise."

Jack closed his eyes, dropped his glass, and placed his paws on the edge of the desk to assist in propping himself back to an upright position.

He looked at the mess he'd made of papers and frames, and used two fingers of his right hand to pinch the bridge of his nose as he wondered what had happened to the glass he was holding in the other hand.

"I'm fine Francine. I've just got a headache."

The door in the floorboards opened a little wider. Francine had pushed her head a little higher into the room.

"Good to know, sir. I did want you to know that you've got a client on the way up."

"A client?!" Jack snapped to attention in his chair and fixed his eyes to the half of a head sticking up through the floor, with a quizzical expression on his face that appeared borderline aggressive, making Francine slightly uncomfortable. As she started retreating back to her office, Jack stuck out his paw in an unspoken request to stay put, and swallowed his tongue along with the face that had struck his friend with concern.

"I'm sorry. Please...wait"

Jack forced himself to regain his composure. He briefly resumed his gaze to the ceiling, then, tilting his head to crack his neck and with a slight smirk of recovery from his doldrums, he looked back to the elephant sticking her head through the floor of his office

"Do you have any mints?"

Even though she hadn't stuck her head far enough through the door to bring her entire face into view, it was easy to see the smile in her eyes. The top of her head retreated. After a short moment, and some rather audible rummaging, the door creaked open again. This time, it was just a curled trunk that slid across the floor towards the base of his chair. The trunk uncurled, revealing a large bottle of water, some vitamins in a tiny plastic cup, and a small tin of mints.

"Thanks, Francine." A smile crossed both sides of Jacks' face as he reached for the water bottle. From the corner of his eye, he caught a light wave of a trunk that was helping him to recover before it disappeared to her office downstairs. He waved back, even knowing she couldn't see it.

…

Jack was chugging water with one hand and reorganizing his desk with another when a single tap struck the clouded window of his office door. His ears and eyes shot up in surprise, and he immediately thought about how stupid he looked. One hand nursing his mouth with a giant water bottle while the other is a fist full of paperwork he wasn't sure was trash or treasure.

In the midst of shock, confusion, and other things, Jack looked to the window of his office door with a newly found focus that raised a brow and began to answer a question. One that he knew he could solve.

The long claw was still against the glass.

Continuing to look like an idiot, he moved from behind the desk and rapidly tapped the trap door with his foot, taking a step back, still chugging from the large water bottle and clutching questionably relevant paperwork with the other hand.

Francine poked her head through the floor and looked to the chair. The water bottle was gone, the vitamins missing from the cup, and tin of mints was bound to be safely tucked away in someone's pocket. Jacks eyes shifted to the open door next to his foot.

"You had Priscilla escort my client, didn't you?"

A sinister grin graced the eyes of his elephant friend.

"Yes sir, I did."

"You are as brilliant as you are beautiful, Francine."

…

Jack relaxed his posture, knowing he'd have time to straighten up the office. Priscilla would knock three times before opening the door. And, she'd only knocked once so far. As Jack made a dash to organize his office, Francine put her leg through the door, appearing to make an attempt to climb into the room.

"Sir! You need to know…"

There was a knock at the door, another tap on the glass. Francine and Jack froze.

"Sir? I..."

Jack, holding a misplaced book in one hand and a water bottle in the other, turned, looked to, and motioned at the elephant to get down with the hand holding the water bottle, spilling water on the floor.

"Oh come on!" Jack exclaimed, realizing he'd just created a bigger mess.

"Francine, get back downstairs!"

Jack quickly turned his pointed finger from Francine to a full-length mirror in the corner of the room.

"...and you! Get it together!"

Francine looked down into her office, staring at her feet on the top of her desk as she slowly closed the trap door above her head. "He doesn't know what he's getting himself in to" she whispered as she moved from her desktop to the floor and back into the comfort of her chair.

She grumbled and fidgeted before reason reassured her that she had to tell Jack what was happening. Her eyes moved to the phone on her desk, and her hand moved to the conference button for Jacks office, labeled with the warning sticker that had been on his extension since her first day.

"Do Not Call"

…

Jack knew the third knock was coming, and he needed to get it right. He'd stuffed papers into corners instead of filing cabinets. He'd put his books back on the shelves in a hurry to clean up, but he was already uneasy about their unidentifiable disorder. And, the water...what was he going to do about that? Maybe just stand in it and let his fur pick it up.

While Jack was standing in the water, rolling his feet around to test his theory, the third knock hit the glass. The book he was holding slipped from his hands, and he turned staring blankly at his own door. The knob began to turn, and a buzz rang from the phone on his desk.

Jack straightened his tie and hopped over his desk, grabbing his hat and cigar along the way. He'd jumped into his own chair so fast that it spun like a winded pinwheel, making him a little dizzy before he stopped himself by grabbing the same surface he'd knocked his noggin against just a few minutes earlier.

"Mister..."

Priscilla was slow, but she was incredibly polite. Jack loved that about her, he also loved Francine's attention to detail. They're a good set of lovely ladies to work with.

"...Savage..."

The door to Jacks office opened very slowly. Enough where Jack thought to himself that he had more time to work with than he'd used. He could probably still be rolling his feet around in the water in front of his bookshelf.

"...you..."

A small fox in a pink and lavender dress slipped in through the slowly opening door. Jack edged forward in his chair, his mouth opening in surprise, dropping the unlit cigar into his lap.

"...have..."

The phone on the desk buzzed again.

"...a…"

The small fox was in front of Jacks desk, playfully jumping up and down in the puddle he'd meant to have cleaned up before seeing a client.

"...visitor."

Already in a world of shock as to what was happening in front of his desk, Jack looked to his door, now open, with Priscilla gesturing in his client.

He stood, straight and tall, walking from behind his desk while straightening his tie again out of sight. He heard the client thank Priscilla as he presented himself to the middle of the room, barely paying attention to the spry young fox prancing around in his mess.

"Thank you, Priscilla."

The rabbit in front of him was impeccably dressed and alluded an unbelievably sweet demeanor.

"...You're..."

Jack looked back to the fox that was now rapidly running around the puddle in small circles, chasing the very drops she was kicking up from the floor.

"Is she yours, ma'am?"

The rabbit turned to Jack with a smile.

"She's ours."

Jack turned to Priscilla. She was still talking...why?

"...welcome..."

The buzzing of Jacks desk phone was starting to drive him nuts. He needed to shut it up, and he needed Priscilla to leave so he could speak with his client.

"...Mrs..."

Jack turned back to the rabbit at his side, hoping she'd understand.

"Ma'am, I need to take that call."

She looked to Jacks' eyes with understanding and a hint of something else. Something he couldn't read.

"I understand Mr. Savage. My husband is missing, and I think your services may help me. I'll wait outside so you may finish your call."

The rabbit turned her gaze from Jack to the puddle jumping fox.

"Amber, we have to wait outside for a moment."

The small fox in Jacks office snapped still, and then bolted. The water drops were still in the air by the time she'd reached her mothers' side. Jack couldn't follow her. How was she able to move like that?

"...Wilde."

Jacks concentration quickly moved to Priscilla, back to the rabbit with the cub, and then to his desk phone. He cleared the distance between his door and his desk with haste that knocked the water from the floor. He heard the cub laugh as he picked up the handle.

"Francine?..."

"Sir! I was trying to tell you…"

"Francine, I know. I have to make a call. I'll send her down to you. We're taking this case. Start a file!"

"Sir."

Jack slowly placed the phone receiver down on the base, his hand shaking, This was real. He turned and leaned his back against the front of his desk, His attention returned to the rabbit at his door. She hadn't moved. The one with a fox cub tugging at her dress, silently asking when they were going to leave. The one with the amethyst eyes that followed his every move.

Jack, still trembling, wide-eyed and gravely concerned, closed in on a thought.

"This...this is Judy Wilde."

* * *

 **Authors Note:**

 **As a first time publication, I feel like I did well. There's definitely room for improvement. :D**

 **A huge tip of my hat to AngloFalcon and Cimar of Turalis WildeHopps for inspiring me to start my own stories.**

 **Stay tuned. There's always more adventure. :P**

 **-Nateka**


	2. Worst Foot Forward

Jack Savage Stars in...

" **Jack in the Box"**

Episode Two: Worst Foot Forward

"Mrs. Wilde, please, have a seat. I need to hop downstairs to retrieve your case requisition from my secretary. I'll only be a moment. "

With his back still against his desk, Jack forced his face to make his smile convincing, hoping the effort would erase the concern and confusion from his startled brow, and with some additional hope that his grin appeared sober and genuine.

She calmly stepped back into the office, moving through the room with an air of finesse he'd never seen in another rabbit. The cub that was previously frolicking in a water puddle was now calm, eyes fixed forward, and hand in hand with her mother. The rabbit seated herself in the guest chair next to Jacks desk as he faked a confident stride through the door, turning left towards the stairs.

When he knew he was out of sight, the confusion returned. He began to question the present situation internally, lightly mumbling under his breath as he stepped down the hall.

"Why would she come here? Why would she use a private investigator? Her husband is a captain of the ZPD. Why wouldn't she go to them for..."

Jacks weight unexpectedly shifted, his eyes widened in surprise, and he spoke the last word of his thoughts out loud in a panicked tone.

"...help!"

Walking, being lost in thought, and still a little buzzed from breakfast was a bad combination. In his distracted stride through the hallway, he neglected to notice the approaching stairwell and completely overshot the first step down. Gravity did the rest, and Jack found himself in a tumbling, one-sided fight with a flight of stairs.

He landed flat on his back when he reached the bottom and slid a few feet across the floor to the dead center of the front of Francine's desk. She slowly peeked over the top of it with raised eyebrows and a quizzical expression on her face.

"Are you all right, sir?"

Jack grumbled a little and lifted his back from the floor, resting on his elbows,

"I'm fine. It was just a little fall. No big deal. Jack zero, gravity one."

Francine lightly chuckled and her expression changed to a humored smirk.

"Jack...you and I both know this is not the first time you've fallen down the stairs. What can I get you?"

He snapped his head to the right and glared up at the elephant, barking at her in an annoyed tone.

"Can it, peanuts! Are you finished putting together Mrs. Wilde's case file?"

She turned away from peering over her desktop and shook the entire first floor with every step she made towards the other end of her office.

"Coming right up, sir."

Jack could swear he heard her laughing, but it was quiet...like she was trying to hide it. He rolled his eyes and looked back to the stairs with which he had just developed a brief but intimate relationship. He saw Priscilla on the side, holding the rail. She'd only made it about three-quarters of the way down since escorting Judy to his office.

There was a large, open-mouthed smile slowly spreading across her face and her eyebrows looked as though they were about to jump off of her forehead in slow motion.

"Don't you dare..." Jack said, waving a finger from his right paw at her. But, he was too late

"Ha..."

Jack let his elbows slide outwards and laid on his back. For a moment he stared at the cheap plastic chandelier that lit the hallway, then closed his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

"...ha..."

When he reopened his eyes, he did not see the chandelier. The side of a manilla folder with the name "Wilde, J." written on the tab hovered directly over his head.

"One case file on Mrs. Judy Wilde, sir."

His eyes widened with surprise at the same time Francine let go of the folder, dropping it directly on his nose. The folder made a light _plop_ sound as it wrapped around his face and slapped him on both sides of his head.

"...ha!"

Jack grabbed the file and quickly jumped to his feet in one motion, turning his frustrated focus from Priscilla to the elephant behind the lobby desk. Francine had already returned to her computer chair to begin working on whatever it was that she did when she wasn't dropping files on his face. He could only see the top of her head over the humongous monitor. He sighed in defeat and started walking back to his office.

"Thank you, Francine." He said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Watch your step, sir."

He could hear her smiling through her words.

There was no denying it...That was sarcastic. One hundred percent.

* * *

 **Authors Note:**

 **Originally, Jack just stepped out of his office for a moment, and then came back with the case file.**

 **What used to be the meat and potatoes of chapter two is now chapter three. But I didn't want to throw this part away because I liked this personal interaction between the three of them. So I tweaked it as a stand alone shortie.**

 **Stay tuned! :D**

 **-Nateka**


	3. Ruffle the Fuzz

Jack Savage Stars in...

" **Jack in the Box"**

Episode Three: Ruffle the Fuzz

Jack straightened his posture, rolled his shoulders to realign his duster, and took a deep breath before walking into his office. He entered the room with a casual stride, looking directly to Mrs. Wilde. She raised and turned her head, greeting his return with a light smile. Her paws were crossed. Beneath them was the young cub curled into a ball, purring, and fast asleep.

"She tires herself out so quickly." Judy said softly.

Jack grinned as he walked behind his desk with light steps. Speaking softly was the order of the room. He made certain to take his seat slowly as his chair would creak if he'd flopped into it. Using his free hand he made a rough stack out of the scattered picture frames; picking them up one at a time and then carefully sliding the pile to the side, making room to place and open the case file.

"Mrs. Wilde, before we begin..."

"Please, call me Judy."

Jack grinned "Very well...Judy."

He leaned back in the chair, intertwining his fingers and resting his paws in his lap.

"Before we begin, I have to ask...why did you come to me? Your husband is a captain of the force. I imagine that they're well aware of his absence and that you've already spoken with them. I don't mean to downplay my services, but I believe the ZPD would be better suited to track him down. Their numbers and resources far exceed anything I have at my disposal."

Judy lightly nodded as Jack was talking. She knew he'd ask in an off-the-record manner out of general curiosity. He was definitely right about the resources. Before she left the ZPD she was the head of the missing mammal department, and they were very good at what they did.

"Well...Mr. Savage..."

"Please, call me Jack."

"Very well..." she said, tilting her head to the side, clearly amused.

"Jack...I have been to the ZPD and kept in regular contact with them. I've even been assigned a lookout that posts outside our house when I'm there, and follows me when I go out."

She paused for a moment and looked out the window.

"I guess they don't want me to wind up missing, too. I suppose, even though it seems a little personally intrusive, I'm grateful for that extra effort."

It was easy for Jack to figure out that she was informing him of a unit parked outside of his office. They knew she was here. No doubt he'd be getting a phone call or a visit shortly after this meeting. She turned her head back to him and continued.

"Your reputation precedes you. They've got a special file on you in precinct one. My husband has even briefly mentioned you a couple of times when talking about his day over dinner. He calls you _PI Guy,_ among other, less repeatable things."

Jack scoffed. "A special file? That's a little unnerving."

She nodded agreeably. "It's been a while since I left the ZPD so I wouldn't know what's in it. They do keep a general list of private investigators, but you're the only one with a separate dedicated record that has a rank limitation for viewing."

Judy grinned, looking into the corner of her eyes for a moment before returning them to Jack.

"I don't know what the clearance rank is, but I do know that it's higher than captain. At one point, Nick had mentioned that the whole precinct is annoyed with the fact that they've got to put up with your PI gimmick, and, they generally regard you as a nuisance."

Jack grumbled and rolled his eyes. Normally this gesture would irk Judy. Instead, her attention trailed off to an indirect point in the room and her voice took on a softer, more somber tone.

"He told me last week that he'd been assigned a high profile stakeout in South Savanna, and that he'd be gone for a few days. I didn't really think much of it. It wasn't the first time. And I'm sure wasn't going to be the last. It all seemed business as usual. I told him that I'd probably take Amber out to Bunnyburrow for a family visit while he was gone, and we left it at that. And then yesterday I got a call from officer Sheffield in human resources. He asked me if Nick had overslept again."

Judy paused and returned her eyes to Jack. He had leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, and had already started writing in the folder. Her hesitation ushered him to look up.

"When I mentioned the stakeout, Sheffield went silent for a moment. I could hear that he'd cupped his paw over the phone and was talking to someone else. When he came back, he told me that there hasn't been an order for a stakeout in Savanna for at least six months, and that Nick had requested paid leave for five days, and was supposed be back in the bullpen by 0800." She paused again to give Jack time to finish his note. "I hung up the phone and called and his cell half a dozen times, but it went straight to voice mail. I left a message asking him what was going on, and when I didn't hear back from him for a couple hours, I went to the precinct."

When Jack finished scribbling, he looked up from the page to slip in a question before she mentioned everything he already knew they'd say to her about a missing mammal case.

"When were you assigned the lookout?"

Judy briefly looked up as though she was trying to read her own thought.

"I got a call from Deputy Wolford about two hours after I got home from filing the report. He told me he'd be assigning me a 24-hour lookout in rotation that would also be acting as an escort, and if I heard from Nick, or came across any new information, that I was to contact him directly. Then the usual _we'll do everything we can to find your husband_ spiel."

Jack lightly nodded as he penned _Deputy Wolford_. He knew the last part was coming. It must have sounded patronizing to her, he thought.

"Needless to say the whole situation has me worried beyond belief. I spent the rest of yesterday calling around to some of his friends, even a few of the restaurants I know he likes, trying to find anyone that had seen or talked to him in the past week. I hardly slept last night. He knows everybody, but nobody knows where he is."

She bowed her head and closed her eyes trying to hide the tears that had started forming.

Jack took a long slow breath, giving her time to regain her composure as he considered what he needed to do to get started. He turned the page on his notes, set his pen on the pad, and slid them close enough to the edge of the desk where she would be able to write without disturbing the sleeping cub.

"It's ok, Judy. I'll find him. But, I need you to do one last thing for me. Would you be so kind as to make a list of the names and numbers of the people that you contacted yesterday? I need to go talk to Francine so we can get the ball rolling on this."

She gently nodded and sniffled when she reopened her eyes. The worry in her expression was now abundantly clear. Jack got up out of his chair and walked over to the window, using two fingers to pry apart the blind slats, and staring down at the street.

Judy sniffled again as she wrote. "I would've just gone out to look for him myself, but I've got Amber, and my parents already have more than enough little ones to look after."

He heard what sounded like a light chuckle at the very end. He pulled his paw from the window letting the slats snap back to their natural position and erased the grimace from his face, replacing it with a confident gaze and a light smile before turning around.

"Mrs. Wilde..."

She looked up, noticing that Jack had assumed a reassuring posture. "...Judy."

His confident smile briefly gave way for respectfully amused one as he cleared his throat.

"Judy...I assure you, I _will_ find your husband if it's the last thing I do."

She smiled with a nod and continued composing the list which he considered to be a good time to take care of his errand.

"If you'll excuse me for just a moment, I'll be right back."

He made sure to remain attentive through the hallway to avoid another tumble down the stairs. After rounding the side of Francine's desk, he rapped a claw on the leg of her chair to gain her attention. He motioned for her to lean close to him and whispered softly enough that he was sure it wouldn't carry.

"Does your cousin still run that janitorial service?"

She nodded. Her cousin Ollie had helped them recover certain pieces of information many times before. His company serviced a wide variety of businesses throughout Zootopia, which had also been used to sneak Jack into places he wouldn't have been able to get in to on his own.

"I need a current patrol car assignment roster from precinct one."

She nodded again and sat back up, reaching for her cell phone before standing, and jokingly excused herself to the ladies room.

"Clever elephant." he mumbled to himself through a grin.

He stepped back into the main lobby and walked with an intense, purposeful gate towards the front of the office. His face assumed the same grimace from before as he clenched his paws. Using the bottom of one fist, he struck the face of the solid wooden door, flinging it out of his way hard enough that he didn't have to slow his pace as he stormed outside. The air from the street rushed through the open door, getting caught in the tail of his long, dark brown coat, and blowing it back like a menacing suede flag of disdain trailing behind him.

The driver side window of the cruiser rolled down as Jack approached the car. He stopped just a few steps short of arms reach, glaring up into the cabin.

"Are you going to sit out here all day?" He growled with a gruff, agitated tone.

The officer stuck his head out of the open window and glared down at Jack with a similar scowl.

"Just doin' my job."

Jack scoffed. "Oh yeah? Well, so am I."

The raccoon officer closed his eyes and shook his head back and forth disagreeably.

"No...no...Jack...What you do isn't a job. What you do is a joke."

"Who did you call?"

A sinister looking white toothed smile spread across the face of the patrol officer staring down at Jack.

"...oh...you'll find out soon enough."

Jack snapped around quickly and started storming back to the entrance of the office.

"You're wearing too much makeup, rat!" he yelled as he reached for the handle on the door.

"Screw you Savage!" The raccoon barked, shaking his fist through the open window of the cruiser.

"Classy as always, Goddard!" Jack yelled just before slamming the door closed behind him.

He stopped just inside the building, straightening his aggressively forward posture and shaking the tension from his arms and paws before casually proceeding further down the hallway. He hoped that Francine had already returned to her desk with good news. Much to his delight, she poked her head over her computer monitor just before he walked around to the other side of the counter. She smiled and leaned down to him, speaking in a whisper.

"He said he was wrapping up work at the site he's on, and he'll head over to the station for a surprise inspection." She formed air quotes with her massive feet on the words _surprise inspection_. "He said he should be able get by here in an hour or so."

"Good ole' Ollie. Thanks, Francine." Jack whispered back to her, giving her a thumbs up as he turned and rushed back up the stairs.

When he walked back into his office, he saw that Judy was done recording her contacts, and was looking down at Amber with a smile, softly poking at one of her tufted ears causing it to flicker with each delicate tap.

He stepped up to the front of his desk and briefly skimmed the list before closing the folder and tucking it under his arm. He extended his unoccupied paw to Judy offering to help her up from her seat.

"Judy, I believe I have everything I need from you for now. I'll see you out personally. If I call Priscilla up here, It'll be dark before you get to the door."

She accepted the gesture after positioning the sleeping cub in a cradle with one of her arms. Jack turned with her and accompanied her, walking slowly and quietly into the hallway. She spoke in somber as the two of them walked side by side towards the stairs.

"I just hope he's not in trouble...well...I mean...he's always in trouble...I just hope he's not in danger."

"I'll give you one of my cards when we get downstairs. I'll be starting your case immediately. If you should hear or think of anything new that you feel I should know, you are free to contact me. I don't take calls directly when I'm working a case, but Francine will be on call twenty-four hours a day to relay messages to me until resolution."

When Jack and Judy reached the stairs, they took careful steps together to avoid disturbing the cubs slumber while Jack continued his case acceptance monologue.

"Under no circumstances should you discuss my involvement in assisting you, since the ZPD is already well aware that you're here. If I happen to discover anything relevant, it will be clearly and directly communicated with the ZPD to aid in the search for your husband. I _will_ contact you within twenty-four hours with an update, or sooner if it so applies."

They reached the bottom of the stairs, and Jack took a few quick steps forward stopping Judy in front of Francine's desk. Judy looked up at him and saw one of the most serious expressions of conviction she'd seen since Chief Bogo. But, this one wasn't intimidating, it was reassuring, as though he was just as concerned about Nick as she was. In the light of the hallway, she was able to make out so much more detail of his character and posture.

His office was dimly lit and the window was nearly blacked out by the blinds. Her eyes never could adjust well to low light. The brightness of the overhead chandelier seemed to illuminate him. His fur was dark, and the sharp, thin, diagonal accents of fur on his face and paws were even darker, almost black. He was _tall_ in this light. Slender, long-armed, sharp shoulders, and quite handsome. There were small, random lines and patches of white fur on his face and ears, which were obvious indicators of old injuries.

He pulled the folder out from under his arm and set it on the counter. She saw Francine stand and greet her with a warm smile while taking the folder in one foot and placing a business card down with the other. Jack picked up the card and turned back to Judy, extending his long arm down to her. She took the card with her free paw and slid it into the front pocket of the small purse hanging from her shoulder.

"Thank you." she said softly.

He leaned forward, leveling his eyes with hers, and keeping the same reassuring expression on his face.

"Judy...again...I give you my word. I will find Nick if it's the last thing I do."

He straightened his posture and stepped to the side, politely gesturing Judy towards the door at the front of the office. He walked slightly ahead so that he could open the door for her. Francine followed behind them, very slowly placing her feet on the ground. The floor still trembled, but it was a quiet tremble. She stopped and whispered "Nice to see you again, Judy." which immediately seemed highly inappropriate as soon as it came out. She covered her mouth with both feet in disbelief of what just came out of it.

Judy turned her head over her shoulder with a smile as Jack was opening the door.

"Good to see you too, Effie."

After Judy had stepped outside, Jack stepped into the frame of the door keeping his right paw on the handle. She had parked across the street, but the police cruiser was right in front of his office. Once she had crossed the street, he glared at the driver's side of the cruiser with a furrowed brow and a sly smile. He stepped back slowly, letting the door follow him, and just before it interrupted his stare-down with the raccoon he knew was scowling back at him through the tinted windshield, he presented the back of his left paw with his middle finger raised and claw extended.

When the door clicked shut, Jack spun around on his heels and looked up at Francine with a surprised expression.

"Nice to see you again?...are you kidding me?" he snapped.

Francine looked down at Jack with a comically bored look on her face.

"Stay Classy, Goddard?" She replied in a mocking tone. Rocking her head slightly from side to side with each syllable.

Jack sighed, rolled his eyes, and walked past the sassy pachyderm. She removed her feet from her hips and turned to follow him. Instead of running up the stairs, he went behind her desk. She followed behind without concern. After all, it was _his_ office from the foundation to the roof.

"You know...you hares could learn a thing or two about manners from rabbits.

Jack chuckled.

"No...no we can't."

* * *

 **Authors note:**

 **There were some pretty difficult parts to write in this chapter. Especially the layout of Jacks interaction with Judy, and explaining why she went to a PI.**

 **Personally, I really enjoyed writing Jacks brief meeting with Officer Goddard. XD**

 **Chapter 4 is already well underway and is going to hit the gas pedal hard, and then hit the brake hard, and then...**

 **Stay tuned!**

 **-Nateka**


	4. Blast From the Past

Jack Savage Stars in...

" **Jack in the Box"**

Episode Four: Blast From the Past

 **Jack knelt on the floor directly opposite of the bobcat in the center of the room. He had never met a bobcat in person, and mentally checked this encounter as unique. She kept her eyes closed, remaining still and quiet as Jack settled himself. The room was empty and without windows. The dull grey walls and ceiling lacked any discernible texture, and the floor looked and felt as though it was one giant slab of unblemished granite or marble.**

 **As he began to relax, an eerie and disorienting sensation swept through his head. He was struggling to focus on her. From one brief moment to another she would appear slightly blurred and then clear as the sharpest image, but as the finer details of her robe and fur became sharper the walls and shadows throughout the rest of the room would lose clarity. He felt his eyes water and nausea slowly joined in on the assault to his senses.**

" **Breathe."**

 **The word didn't make a sound. It radiated in the air. He felt it. When he swallowed in an effort to settle his stomach he closed his eyes and started panting; gasping for air as if he'd just ran farther and faster than he ever had in his life. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to move at all. Everything...every part of him ached. His back fell to the floor and pain surged through every part of his body. A blast of hot air hit him from all directions and he felt something throw him across the room, violently slamming him against a wall. Through the noise of the burning air keeping him pinned against the wall and the earth shaking roar emanating from every direction he heard a voice.**

" **Enough."**

 **It was dark. Quiet. Jack opened his eyes and found himself staring at the floor. He looked up and saw that he was once again kneeling opposite an elegantly robed bobcat in an empty room of dull grey walls with a flawless stone floor. There was no wind, no ground shaking rumble, and no windows. In place of the agonizing pain was a dull soreness. He looked down to his paws, turning them over and back again. Seeing that they were no worse for wear, he glanced around the room as he massaged his right shoulder which seemed to be the sorer of the two.**

" **What did you do to me?" he asked, looking back to the bobcat in front of him.**

 **She smiled. "I did nothing." She looked around the room, then back to Jack.**

" **You did this to yourself."**

 **Jack pondered this response briefly before his expression changed from confused to annoyed...and confused. "Well that's more than less than unhelpful" He thought.**

 **The bobcat rose to her feet and slowly walked to the wall that was behind her, carefully surveying the room as she went. She tapped a claw against the wall, then turned her head and tapped again.**

 **Jack stood up, but stayed in the middle of the room. "Is this part of the training?"**

 **She stopped tapping the wall and turned to face him.**

" **No, Jack. The training has been over for a long time."**

 **His annoyed confusion remained, and he dropped his head with a heavy sigh. "Great" he thought, "another _ask the right question_ scenario." His thoughts quickly turned to spoken words.**

" **This is all starting to become a little too predicta..." Jack froze when he opened his eyes. He again found himself staring at the floor. He looked up and saw that he was kneeling opposite an elegantly robed bobcat in an empty room of dull grey walls with a flawless stone floor.**

" **Welcome back." she said.**

" **Where am I?" Jack asked nervously.**

" **Breathe." she replied.**

 **Jack took a deep breath, and then another. He closed his eyes and disregarded his surroundings. He was in shock, agitated, and confused. He took another deep breath and opened his eyes. He was standing again, the bobcat across the room tapping on the wall.**

" **Where am I?" he asked sternly.**

 **She turned to the side and looked at Jack with a slight toothy grin, and quickly rapped on the wall with her claw.**

 **He rubbed the back of his head and sighed. It hurt to stand, so he decided to sit on the floor to rest and think. It hurt to sit, so he decided to lay back flat on the floor. It hurt to lay flat, but there were no other options, so Jack resolved to laying down in the middle of the room, listening to his companion walk around, stopping to tap the wall every few steps. After a while it seemed to have a rhythm, and Jack began tapping along with her whenever she stopped.**

" **Where am I?" he asked himself.**

 ** _Tap...tap...tap…_**

" **I'm in a room." he said to the ceiling.**

" **I'm in a room." she said simultaneously.**

 **He quickly sat up and looked around the room for the bobcat, but she was nowhere to be seen. He sighed, shook his head, and laid back flat on the floor.**

" **I'm in a room." he said.**

 **There was no other voice. He was alone.**

" **Why am I here?" he quietly thought to himself. There was no need to break the silence in the room now. The disappearing bobcat wasn't much in the way of conversation, and walls were not well known for their social contributions.**

 **In this moment of self amusing wit Jack heard and felt himself speak. It was more of a whisper, but he knew he was not making a conscious effort to form words. As he spoke he quickly began to feel exhausted, almost like he'd been awake for days. The floor softened and he sank in to it. He closed his eyes as the light in the room faded to a pitch black.**

" _To tell you where to find me."_

* * *

Jack opened his eyes just enough to see, but not enough to allow the obnoxiously bright florescent light set into the ceiling to further compound what could very well be the worst headache he's ever had. He covered his eyes with his paw and turned his head to the side. A simple move that shot enough pain through his neck and shoulders to compound his headache, and set a new record.

"Ow." he whimpered.

"Smooth." he thought.

He felt something dangling from his arm and tipped his paw away from his eyes long enough to catch a glimpse of the IV tube, and the short sleeve of a hospital gown.

"Great. A hospital." he said out loud as he painfully rolled his head back to face the ceiling.

"Brilliant deduction, sleuth." a voice from the far side of the room announced with a nearly tangible sarcasm. Jack turned his head to the left and cracked an eyelid. He could see a figure sitting in a chair under a wall mounted television, but the figure was almost completely obstructed by the full size ZNN Chronicle in his paws. The top of the newspaper flipped down, revealing dark ringed eyes that found joy in Jacks pain, and a sharp toothed smile that would curdle water.

"Ugh..." Jack moaned. "Second worst headache." He thought.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he said in a disgusted tone as he looked over the edge of the bed to the floor, rapidly blinking to help his eyes adjust.

"Well..." Goddard began in a mockingly disgusted tone, "I was watching you die. Now I'm watching you ruin something else I was looking forward to. You seem to have a knack for..."

"I mean what are you _still_ doing here?" Jack interrupted.

Goddard snorted and slapped the newspaper shut leaving it in the chair as he slid down to his feet.

"The ZPD was assigned shifts to watch you be useless _and_ unconscious. I drew one of the short straws."

Even though it hurt like hell, Jack chuckled. "You are one of the short straws."

Goddard growled and took a step towards Jack. In the same moment a monumentally tall, deep voiced, and obviously irritated cougar stepped into the room.

"That's quite enough, both of you."

Goddard cringed and turned to look over his shoulder. "H-he's awake, sir."

The large cougar that had silently entered the room fiercely stared down at Goddard, grumbling his discontent for the raccoon as he stepped to the side and motioned to the door.

"You are dismissed, officer. Check out at the nursing station and have them page Dr. Dakota..." he leaned forward and spoke through clenched teeth "...please."

"Y-yes, sir." Goddard said, lowering his head and walking out of the room. Once he was in the safety of the hallway he mumbled "smells like burnt hair in there anyway" under his breath.

This was, unfortunately for Jack, not out of earshot of the cougar who then growled, grabbed the edge of the open door, and slammed it shut. Jack groaned and palmed both sides of his head.

"That was unnecessary. And painful."

The cougar huffed and turned away from the door, looking to Jack without a shred of apology on his face. He walked over to the chair and unbuttoned the front of his coat before taking a seat. The chair creaked and whined as it struggled to maintain form under the weight of its new occupant.

"If you had killed him when you had the chance..." the cougar stated stoicly.

"It's still pretty early in the day." Jack grinned, folding his paws.

"It's the middle of the night, Jack. That's a fake window."

With his vision nearly restored, and this embarrassingly obvious detail pointed out to him, it was now easy to make out the rough edges and inconsistencies in the fabricated view that was most likely put in place to generate a false sense of tranquility in an establishment designed to cater to the unwell. Still, it was a kind thing for the hospital to go out of its way to do, and Jack nodded his approval to the diorama anyway.

"So..." Jack began, keeping his attention on the window. "what brings the assistant director of the ZCIS all the way out to Savannah General to check on a very retired former agent who is, at present, still wondering how he got here?"

The cougar stared at Jack for a moment before responding. It was impossible for Jack to get a read on what he was thinking. From the start of field training to the day he walked out of the directors office for the last time, assistant director Markay wore the same face and had the body language of a brick wall.

Markay reached for the newspaper without looking and stretched out his arm, handing it to Jack. It was still folded inside out and back over on itself, the paper victim of an attitude problem.

"That little rat has been carrying this around with him for three days. I don't doubt it was solely for the pleasure of presenting it to you, personally."

Jack unfolded and refolded the paper, then turned it over to the front page.

 **MASSIVE EXPLOSION IN SAVANNAH CENTRAL HISTORIC DISTRICT**

 **THREE CONFIRMED DEAD, DOZENS INJURED, BUSINESSES DESTROYED**

Jacks eyes widened. Directly below the headline was a three quarter page picture, and right smack in the middle of it was the front of what used to be his office, as well as what used to be the front of the adjacent buildings. The street level face of all three were gone, blown across the road, in to, and through the restaurant and post office facing them. The back wall of Jacks building was also destroyed, and the alley behind the strip was clearly visible. What was left of the second floor appeared to be held up by the neighboring structures. Enough of the front of the second floor had collapsed to see in to Jacks office.

Jack started trembling, trying to gather his thoughts and piece together what happened, but he couldn't think, he couldn't see anything.

"Francine, Priscilla!?" He exclaimed, looking up to Markay with panic in his eyes.

The cougar raised his paw and shook his head. "No, Jack. They're fine. Priscilla was at home, and Miss Francine is far better off than you. She did get knocked around pretty bad, but she's expected to make a full recovery." He paused "...and she's very vocal about it."

A great swell of relief came over Jack, and he took a deep breath to collect himself as he relaxed back into the bed.

"And...the others?" He quietly asked, looking back to the newspapers headline.

There was a knock at the door, the handle turned and then fell to the floor. It opened slightly under its own weight, but the bent and broken arm of the hydraulic mechanism that used to gently close the door behind would-be visitors prevented it from swinging fully open.

Markay stood, straightening his coat and fixing the button. "That is precisely where this starts to get complicated. I have a meeting with ballistic forensics in the morning. Get some rest. We'll talk, soon."

He stopped just short of the door and looked back over his shoulder. "Jack..."

Jack was having trouble taking his eyes off of the picture. "What?"

"The last thing this city needs is any of your unfinished business following you home."

Markay opened the cracked door to leave. Blocking his path was an elk in a lab coat peering with curiosity through the reading glasses at the end of her nose to the broken door handle she was holding, her other arm occupied with a clipboard. She glanced up at the cougar, back down to the handle, and back to the cougar.

Markay cleared his throat. "Dr. Dakota."

She took a step to the side, allowing Markay to walk past, and looked back to the handle.

"Assistant Director." She replied, even though he was already several wide strides down the hall.

Jack heard her say "that's twice this week" to herself, stepping in and closing the door as best she could.

"Good evening, Mr. Savage" she said, walking across the room and placing the handle on the small bureau next to his bed. "It's nice to see you awake. We were beginning to wonder."

Her chipper demeanor made Jack feel a little uneasy as she went through a series of simple tests. Shining a light in each eye, telling him to follow her finger as she moved it back and forth in front of him, pinching his wrist while looking at her watch, listening to him breathe through a stethoscope on his chest, then his back. She scribbled what he figured to be simple vital remarks on her clipboard between each procedure. Once she was finished, she tucked the clipboard back underneath her arm, and smiled at him.

"So, how are we feeling this evening?"

Jack drifted from direct eye contact with her, glancing briefly at the headline of the newspaper in his lap, then to the window. The view wasn't real, and he found himself wishing for the same of the image printed on the front of a three day old periodical.

He closed his eyes.

"Unwell."


End file.
